Pilots

About the project

The Pilots project ran from 31 October 2008 to 30 October 2010.

The Pilots project worked towards the professionalisation of the role of explainers in science centres and museums both through developing European training courses and through research on the role of explainers, with a focus on adult learning.

Scope

Explainers are the people working in a science centre or museum who come into face-to-face contact with the public. They often have different names depending on their exact role in the institution – animators, guides, edutainers, facilitators or pilots, among others.

Main project outcomes include:

• Four training courses, with over 150 European explainers participating;
• A complete Resource Pack of pedagogical materials, in four modules, available free to download online, for use in training explainers;
• An online community with over 500 users, the Pilots Hub, where project outcomes and information are freely exchanged;
• The results of a qualitative and quantitative survey based on detailed focus group interviews and a full survey of the explainers’ community on the role and training needs of explainers;
• Over forty multiplying events, called Co-Pilots events, carried out by explainers having participated in the Pilots training courses, with over 560 participants across Europe.